Blimps are back, with the ability to carry massive payloads cost-efficiently. But can the industry really rebuild itself?

AEROSPACE GIANTS AND startups are preparing the revival of a century-old concept: the Zeppelin. Once envisioned as a way to travel across the Atlantic in great luxury, the new generation of giant blimps is being targeted at industrial sectors with a track record of spending large amounts of money in the pursuit of a competitive edge: telecommunications, mining, and defense.